Grants for 2022 National Science Week engagement activities

To be eligible you must:

• be an individual 18 years of age or older, or
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN).

You are not eligible to apply if you are:

• an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s website on the list of ‘Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme’
• an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
• a Commonwealth entity (unless you are a publicly funded research organisation that meets the eligibility criteria in section 4.1 of the grant opportunity guidelines).

Joint applications

Joint applications are acceptable, provided you have a lead applicant who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply. For further information on joint applications, refer to section 7.2 of the grant opportunity guidelines.

To be eligible your project must be directed towards a science-related activity that will be conducted in Australia during National Science Week 2022, or where appropriate, in the week before or after National Science Week 2022.

Project purpose

Your project must address one or more of the following purposes:

• draw the nation’s attention towards the sciences
• spark broad interest and engagement in the sciences
• provide an opportunity for all Australians, including those historically underrepresented in the sciences (such as girls and women, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, people residing in regional or remote locations, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds), to participate in science events and activities
• foster partnerships between the community, research organisations and industry
• trial new and innovative science communication activities.

Project format

Your project must engage the general public and be delivered in at least one of the following formats:

• an in-person event involving physical attendance
• an online event involving two-way audience participation or involvement.

Contingency plan

You must have a contingency project plan in place if the event delivery format must change. For example, your contingency project plan could include:

• plans for virtual/online participation in your event
• virtual tours
• online streaming of events, with audience participation (e.g. through a live Q&A session).

Examples of eligible activities

• events relating to existing exhibitions (including travelling exhibitions)
• cinema and theatre
• debates
• quizzes
• open days
• interactive presentations and workshops
• expos and fairs
• forums
• events that relate to the theme for that particular International Year
• events that relate to the National Science Week 2022 school theme
• online events that include two-way audience participation or involvement, such as interactive virtual tours, online Q&As or online workshops.

We may also approve other activities.

You can apply for a grant between $2,000 and $20,000. Your grant funding must not exceed 100% of your total eligible project expenditure. Approved activities determine your eligible project expenditure.

We will only award applications of exceptional merit the maximum grant amount of $20,000.

You must have additional funding or in-kind contributions from sources other than the grant to support any ineligible expenditure on the project.

There is $500,000 available each year for National Science Week Grants.

We first review your application against the eligibility criteria. Only eligible applications will proceed to the assessment stage.

We consider your application on its merits, based on:

• how well it meets the criteria
• if competitive, how it compares to other applications
• whether it provides value with relevant money.

To be competitive you must score highly against all of the assessment criteria.

• Assessment criterion 1: The reach and impact of the project (50 points)
• Assessment criterion 2: Your capacity, capability and resources to carry out the project (30 points)
• Assessment criterion 3: Impact of funding on your project (20 points).

When assessing whether the application represents value with relevant money, we will have regard to:

• the overall objectives of the grant opportunity
• the evidence provided to demonstrate how your project contributes to meeting those objectives
• the relative value of the grant sought.

We refer your application to the National Science Week Grants Committee, an independent committee of experts. The committee will also assess your application against the assessment criteria and compare it to other eligible applications in a funding round before recommending which projects to fund.

The Program Delegate decides which grants to approve taking into account the advice of the committee and the availability of grant funds.

If your application is successful, you’ll receive a written offer. If you are unsuccessful, we’ll notify you in writing and give you the chance to discuss the outcome with us.

Successful applicants

Successful applicants must enter into a grant agreement with the Commonwealth. The grant agreement will specify the reporting requirements, payment schedule and milestones necessary to receive payments.

Payments will be made by direct credit into a nominated bank account.

Evaluation

When evaluating your project, we recommend that you use 6 steps to a quality STEM education initiative evaluation. These steps are from the National STEM Education Resources Toolkit.

We know many businesses have concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on grant applications and grant management. When preparing your application, you need to take into consideration the timeframes and any constraints that may impact the delivery and participation in workshops and other activities resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects need to be designed to ensure participants’ safety and health.

You can find further COVID-19 government financial assistance and support for Australian businesses on our coronavirus information and support for business page.